FBI tracking confessed serial killer's time spent in Houston

Dale Lezo, Houston Chronicle

By Dale Lezon

Updated 1:29 pm, Tuesday, August 13, 2013

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the FBI shows Israel Keyes. The confessed serial killer was mistakenly issued a razor before he committed suicide, according to a report released Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013, by the Alaska Department of Corrections that also said "it appears that razor was not retrieved." Keyes' body was found in his jail cell on Dec. 2, months before he was to have gone on trial for the 2012 slaying of 18-year-old Anchorage barista Samantha Koenig. (AP Photo/FBI, File)
Photo: Uncredited

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the FBI shows Israel...

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Anchorage Police Department shows 18-year-old barista Samantha Koenig. Israel Keyes showed no remorse as he detailed how he'd abducted and killed the 18-year-old woman, then demanded ransom, pretending she was alive. His confession cracked the case, but prosecutors questioning him soon realized there was more, he has killed before. Before divulging more details, Keyes committed suicide in his cell. (AP Photo/Anchorage Police Department, File)
Photo: Uncredited, HONS

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Anchorage Police...

FILE - In this file photo taken Dec. 10, 2012, in Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage police officer Jeff Bell, left, and FBI Special Agent Jolene Goeden speak at a news conference after confessed serial killer Israel Keyes committed suicide at the Anchorage jail. Keyes showed no remorse as he detailed how he'd abducted and killed an 18-year-old woman, then demanded ransom, pretending she was alive. His confession cracked the case, but prosecutors questioning him soon realized there was more, he has killed before. Before divulging more details, Keyes committed suicide in his cell. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
Photo: Mark Thiessen, STF

FILE - In this file photo taken Dec. 10, 2012, in Anchorage,...

FILE - In this file photo taken Dec. 4, 2012, in Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage police Detective Monique Doll speaks at a news conference after confessed serial killer Israel Keyes committed suicide at the Anchorage jail. Keyes showed no remorse as he detailed how he'd abducted and killed an 18-year-old woman, then demanded ransom, pretending she was alive. His confession cracked the case, but prosecutors questioning him soon realized there was more, he has killed before. Before divulging more details, Keyes committed suicide in his cell. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
Photo: Mark Thiessen, STF

FILE - In this file photo taken Dec. 4, 2012, in Anchorage, Alaska,...

FILE -The Common Grounds coffee hut is seen on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013 in Anchorage, Alaska. The Common Grounds is the location where barista Samantha Koenig was kidnapped by Israel Keyes on Feb. 1, 2012. Keyes showed no remorse as he detailed how he'd abducted and killed an 18-year-old woman, then demanded ransom, pretending she was alive. His confession cracked the case, but prosecutors questioning him soon realized there was more, he has killed before. Before divulging more details, Keyes committed suicide in his cell. (AP Photo/Rachel D'Oro)
Photo: Rachel D'Oro, STF

FILE -The Common Grounds coffee hut is seen on Wednesday, Jan. 23,...

FILE - This image taken Dec. 4, 2012, in Anchorage, Alaska, shows video surveillance footage of Samantha Koenig, 18, making a cup of Americano coffee for Israel Keyes, shortly before he abducted her Feb. 1, 2012, and then killed her. Keyes showed no remorse as he detailed how he'd abducted and killed the 18-year-old woman, then demanded ransom, pretending she was alive. His confession cracked the case, but prosecutors questioning him soon realized there was more, he has killed before. Before divulging more details, Keyes committed suicide in his cell. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
Photo: HOPD

FILE - This image taken Dec. 4, 2012, in Anchorage, Alaska, shows...

In this July 2000 image provided by Sean McGuire, Israel Keyes is seen buffing a floor during his military days in Fort Lewis, Wash. Keyes showed no remorse as he detailed how he'd abducted and killed the 18-year-old woman, then demanded ransom, pretending she was alive. His confession cracked the case, but prosecutors questioning him soon realized there was more, he has killed before. Before divulging more details, Keyes committed suicide in his cell. (AP Photo/Sean McGuire)
Photo: Sean McGuire, HONS

In this July 2000 image provided by Sean McGuire, Israel Keyes is...

ADVANCE FOR SUNDAY, JAN. 27 - In this Aug. 3, 2011 photo, a poster asking for information about missing Essex couple Bill and Lorraine Currier hangs on the window the Richmond, Vt., Mobile station on U.S. Highway 2. After confessing to killing a 18-year old woman in Alaska, Israel Keyes is suspected of killing Bill and Lorraine Currier. Keyes was found dead in his cell on Dec. 2, 2012. Investigators have used Keyes' financial and travel records to piece together a timeline of his whereabouts from Oct. 4, 2004, to March 13, 2012. He traveled throughout the United States and made short trips into Canada and Mexico. (AP Photo/The Burlington Free Press, Glenn Russell) MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT; NO SALES; ONLINE OUT
Photo: Glenn Russell, MBR

ADVANCE FOR SUNDAY, JAN. 27 - In this Aug. 3, 2011 photo, a poster...

ADVANCE FOR SUNDAY, JAN. 27 - In this Friday, June 17, 2011 photo, Marilynn Chates, mother of Bill Currier who has been missing since June 8, 2011, along with his wife Lorraine, addresses media at a news conference in Essex, Vt., to announce a reward for information leading to the missing Essex couple. After confessing to killing a 18-year old woman in Alaska, Israel Keyes is suspected of killing Bill and Lorraine Currier. Keyes was found dead in his cell on Dec. 2, 2012. Investigators have used Keyes' financial and travel records to piece together a timeline of his whereabouts from Oct. 4, 2004, to March 13, 2012. He traveled throughout the United States and made short trips into Canada and Mexico. (AP Photo/The Burlington Free Press, Ian Thomas Jansen-Lonnquist) NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; ONLINE OUT
Photo: Ian Thomas Jansen-Lonnquist, MBR

ADVANCE FOR SUNDAY, JAN. 27 - In this Friday, June 17, 2011 photo,...

ADVANCE FOR SUNDAY, JAN. 27 - In this Thursday, April 12, 2012 photo, state police investigators pause to allow a dog to inspect dirt and debris at a dig site off Vermont 15 near Lang Farm in Essex, Vt., in what Essex Police Chief Brad LaRose described as part of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Bill and Lorraine Currier, who went missing June 2011. After confessing to killing a 18-year old woman in Alaska, Israel Keyes is suspected of killing Bill and Lorraine Currier. Keyes was found dead in his cell on Dec. 2, 2012. Investigators have used Keyes' financial and travel records to piece together a timeline of his whereabouts from Oct. 4, 2004, to March 13, 2012. He traveled throughout the United States and made short trips into Canada and Mexico. (AP photo by Ryan Mercer, Burlington Free Press) MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT; NO SALES; ONLINE OUT
Photo: Ryan Mercer, MBR

ADVANCE FOR SUNDAY, JAN. 27 - In this Thursday, April 12, 2012...

ADVANCE FOR SUNDAY, JAN. 27 -In this June 10, 2011 photo, a state police investigator looks at a window into the garage where a door leading to the home of missing couple Bill and Lorraine Currier on Colbert Street in Essex, Vt., was found damaged. After confessing to killing a 18-year old woman in Alaska, Israel Keyes is suspected of killing Bill and Lorraine Currier. Keyes was found dead in his cell on Dec. 2, 2012. Investigators have used Keyes' financial and travel records to piece together a timeline of his whereabouts from Oct. 4, 2004, to March 13, 2012. He traveled throughout the United States and made short trips into Canada and Mexico. (AP Photo/The Burlington Free Press, Ryan Mercer) MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT; NO SALES; ONLINE OUT
Photo: Ryan Mercer, MBR

ADVANCE FOR SUNDAY, JAN. 27 -In this June 10, 2011 photo, a state...

ADVANCE FOR SUNDAY, JAN. 27 - In this April 12, 2012 photo, state police investigators sift through dirt and debris at a dig site off Vermont 15 near Lang Farm in Essex, Vt., in what Essex Police Chief Brad LaRose described as part of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of William and Lorraine Currier, who went missing June 2011. After confessing to killing a 18-year old woman in Alaska, Israel Keyes is suspected of killing Bill and Lorraine Currier. Keyes was found dead in his cell on Dec. 2, 2012. Investigators have used Keyes' financial and travel records to piece together a timeline of his whereabouts from Oct. 4, 2004, to March 13, 2012. He traveled throughout the United States and made short trips into Canada and Mexico. (AP Photo/The Burlington Free Press, Ryan Mercer) MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT; NO SALES; ONLINE OUT
Photo: Ryan Mercer, MBR

ADVANCE FOR SUNDAY, JAN. 27 - In this April 12, 2012 photo, state...

ADVANCE FOR SUNDAY, JAN. 27 - In this June 9, 2011 photo, Essex police search the home of missing couple Bill and Lorraine Currier on Colbert Street in Essex Junction, Vt., after obtaining a search warrant. After confessing to killing a 18-year old woman in Alaska, Israel Keyes is suspected of killing Bill and Lorraine Currier. Keyes was found dead in his cell on Dec. 2, 2012. Investigators have used Keyes' financial and travel records to piece together a timeline of his whereabouts from Oct. 4, 2004, to March 13, 2012. He traveled throughout the United States and made short trips into Canada and Mexico. (AP Photo/The Burlington Free Press, Ryan Mercer) MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT; NO SALES; ONLINE OUT
Photo: Ryan Mercer, MBR

ADVANCE FOR SUNDAY, JAN. 27 - In this June 9, 2011 photo, Essex...

FILE - This undated handout photo provided by the Anchorage Police Department shows IsraelKeyes. Keyes, charged in the death of an Alaska barista, has killed himself, and authorities say he was linked to at least seven other possible slayings in three other states. Keyes was found dead in his Anchorage jail cell Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. Officials say it was a suicide. (AP Photo/Anchorage Police, file)

FILE - This undated handout photo provided by the Anchorage Police...

This undated photo provided by the FBI shows bottles of Drano found inside a plastic bag in Eagle River, Alaska, just north of Anchorage. The FBI says confessed Alaska serial killer Israel Keyes, who targeted people across the country, told authorities he planned to strike again in the state if he had gotten away with the murder of an 18-year-old Anchorage barista. (AP Photo/FBI)
Photo: HOPD

This undated photo provided by the FBI shows bottles of Drano found...

This undated photo provided by the FBI shows a shovel found in Eagle River, Alaska, just north of Anchorage. The FBI says confessed Alaska serial killer Israel Keyes, who targeted people across the country, told authorities he planned to strike again in the state if he had gotten away with the murder of an 18-year-old Anchorage barista. (AP Photo/FBI)
Photo: HOPD

This undated photo provided by the FBI shows a shovel found in...

FILE - This undated handout photo provided by the Anchorage Police Department shows Israel Keyes. Keyes, charged in the death of an Alaska barista, has killed himself, and authorities say he was linked to at least seven other possible slayings in three other states. Keyes was found dead in his Anchorage jail cell Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. Officials say it was a suicide. (AP Photo/Anchorage Police, file)

FILE - This undated handout photo provided by the Anchorage Police...

FILE - In this undated file photo provided by the Essex, Vt., police, Bill and Lorraine Currier are seen. Investigators say Israel Keyes, found dead Sunday, Dec. 2, of an apparent suicide in an Anchorage, Alaska jail, was not only suspected of killing Anchorage barista Samantha Koenig but may be linked to seven other possible slayings around the country, including the Curriers, of Essex, Vt.. The bodies of the Curriers have never been found. They were last seen leaving their jobs on June 8, 2011. Anchorage police chief Mark Mew said Keyes confessed to killing Koenig, as well as killing Bill and Lorraine Currier of Essex, Vt. Keyes, 34, also indicated he killed four others in Washington state and one person in New York state, but didn't give the victims' names, authorities said. (AP Photo/Essex police, File)
Photo: Anonymous

FILE - In this undated file photo provided by the Essex, Vt.,...

FILE - In a Thursday, April 19, 2012 file photo, Samantha Koenig's grandmother Florence Milton, left, and mother Darlene Christiansen, right, paid their respects at an open house memorial for Koenig at Legacy Funeral Homes in Anchoragey. Israel Keyes, who prosecutors say abducted and killed 18-year-old Samantha Koenig, was found dead in his Anchorage jail cell of an apparent suicide Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. Investigators say Israel Keyes was not only suspected of killing Koenig but may be linked to seven other possible slayings around the country, including Bill and Lorraine Currier of Essex, Vt. The bodies of the Curriers have never been found. They were last seen leaving their jobs on June 8, 2011. Anchorage police chief Mark Mew said Keyes confessed to killing Koenig, as well as killing Bill and Lorraine Currier of Essex, Vt. Keyes, 34, also indicated he killed four others in Washington state and one person in New York state, but didn't give the victims' names, authorities said. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bill Roth, File)
Photo: Bill Roth

A suspected serial killer spent time in Houston and other Texas towns days before his arrest and his claim of a country-crossing killing spree, officials said.

Israel Keyes, 34, told police he killed eight people, but authorities believe he may have committed as many as 11 homicides. He committed suicide while awaiting trial in the death 18-year-old Samantha Koenig in Anchorage, Alaska, in February 2012.

Officials believe he may have killed a person in Texas or a nearby state but Keyes denied it, according to the FBI. There is no particular case in Texas he could be linked to, officials said, but he traveled throughout the area days after Koenig was kidnapped. Her dismembered body was found in a frozen lake north of Anchorage three weeks after his arrest in Texas.

The FBI released a timeline of his movements in the state with the hope that people may remember seeing him and will help officials piece together more of his activities in the state.

"We're asking you to help put the pieces of this puzzle together," said Shauna Dunlap, an FBI spokeswoman. "When he killed himself in jail he left a trail of unanswered questions."

In the days before his arrest on March 13 in Lufkin for using Koenig's ATM card, Keyes was in Houston, Humble, Shepherd, Dallas/Fort Worth and Glen Rose.

FBI officials said his travels in the area began Feb. 12, when he rented a blue Kia Soul from a rental agency in Houston. Rental records show he logged 2,847 miles on the car. He used ATMs at banks in Shepherd and Humble and they believe his rental car got stuck in the mud in a rural area near Cleburne. They said he spent a lot of his time in Texas in the Dallas area, where he had relatives. In Glen Rose, he visited a cemetery. He set a house on fire in Aledo and robbed bank in Azel.

When he was arrested, he had the phone numbers of three Houston prostitutes on him.

Officials said Keyes was 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 190 pounds. Anyone who saw him or had contact with him is urged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.